Mature laity in the faith: an urgent matter in the Chinese Church
The first continuing education program in Catholic theology was launched in Peking Last Oct. 11. It was opened by the diocese's Institute of Christianity and Culture, accepting laypersons from all religious rites and creeds. The first group had 28 participants, half of whom were Catholics and 2 protestants while the rest came from the capital's University of Peking, Qing Hua University and the University of Foreign Languages. The course meets each Saturday, for a total of 112 classroom hours over 28 weeks. Themes include dogmatic and moral theology, sacred scripture, church social doctrine, the thought of Vatican Council II and the liturgy.
The admissions office requires that if students do not have an academic degree, they at least be in their second year of university and have sufficient knowledge of a foreign language.
What attracts students, as the course organizer Fr. Peter Zhao Jianmin explained, is that by attending the course and intensely studying, they can obtain the Institute's diploma which then permits them to do an internship abroad or specialize in a special field of religious science. Other than Fr. Zhao, who received his degree in cannon law last year from the Catholic University of Louvain, there is one other priest with a Ph.D among the program's teachers, Dr. Chen Shujie, while three other priests and one layman obtained pontifical licences abroad.
Another Chinese priest, Fr. Giovanni Yang Xiaotin from the dioceses of Zhouzhi in Shaanxi, was recently asked about the primary needs of the Church in China. He underscored the urgency of offering a deeper formation in the faith to the laity, allowing them to actively participate in the ecclesial community's growth. Fr. Yang, degreed in theology at Rome's Pontifical Urban University in 1999, obtained his M.A. in sociology in the United States. He has been teaching the sociology of religion at the Xian seminary for over a year now.
Naturally, above and beyond academic qualifications, it is the personal contagiousness of those who have found Jesus in their lives that assures the effectiveness of the evangelical message in the classroom. Significant evidence of this is found in the rural area around Wuan (province of Hebei), where the number of Catholics has grown from 5000 to 30,000 in just a few years. This is due to the enthusiasm inspiring new converts to spread their faith. This extraordinary development began after the arrival of the priest, Fr. Zheng Ruiping, in Wuan seven years ago.
A young Catholic researcher with a degree from a polytechnic in China, Teresa Xiao Enhui, left her well-paying job to deepen her studies in theology in Rome. She is convinced that "young people and intellectuals are interested in Christianity like never before A 'sane cooperation' between the Church and China is ever the more possible. The greatest obstacle to evangelization in China is today's lack of pioneers and enthusiasm. The door is now open. What is needed are apostles that are well prepared and confident."
Recently Miss Xiao released a documented publication on the numerous research centers found in various Chinese universities where the diverse aspects of Christianity and Chinese Church history are studied (Teresa Xiao Enhui, "Who Studies Christianity in China?", in Catholic Studies, Milan, no. 511, Sept. 2003, pp. 652-56). Teresa Xiao evidences what is currently lacking, noting that today there are only three Church institutions actively dedicated to cultural fields of study: the Shanghai Guangqi Center (named for the 17th century convert and friend of Fr. Matteo Ricci); the Shin (Fede) Publishing House in Shijiazhuang (province of Hebei) directed by Fr. Giovanni B. Zhang Shijiang, which puts out a bi-weekly magazine diffused in all of China's dioceses and which, since 2000, has taken academic research initiatives in collaboration with various university scholars at the Shangzhi (Wisdom) Institute of Catholic Culture in Peking. The latter was founded in 2002 and is directed by the above-mentioned Fr. Peter Zhao.
Unfortunately, certain old prejudices against the laity's active involvement in spreading the faith are not quick to die.
One Catholic woman from Shenyang, in northeastern China, had a bitter experience. After being healed from a serious illness, she decided to dedicate her life to the Gospel message, as she felt the need to deepen her knowledge in theology. She asked in vane to attend a course in theology designed for those preparing for the priesthood.
With some difficulty she was able attend a biblical studies correspondence course organized by a Protestant seminary, and it was only afterward that she was permitted to continue her studies in a Catholic seminary. For some years now Gao Caixia, currently age 47, is accepted and appreciated even outside her dioceses for her zeal and confidence. Last summer she contributed to organizing a seven-week long continuing education program for priests in the province of Hebei.
However, among the objective reasons for the serious delay in dissemination of culture even among Catholics one cannot underestimate the policy on religion supported by the communist government in the Peoples Republic of China. Even today, Chinese legislation, while recognizing the "freedom of religious belief" (cf. art. 36 of the Constitution), is still concerned about "religious inference" in educational and social fields. For over half a century this policy has assured the communist party's uncontested ideology and monopoly in schools at all levels.
The recent birth of the first Catholic cultural centers seems to indicate that those in power are finally beginning to realize that the climate is beginning to change in China. Yet legislation remains unchanged and some "surprise attack" is always possible if provoked by nostalgic Maoists, who are still influential in the communist party's central committee elected last year.
Proof of this is the document issue last Oct. 17 by the State Radio, Film and Television Commission which imposes the promotion of atheism on all national program producers. It also bid them to report all "deviant forms of belief". The government directive is spelled out in ten points imposed on the mass-media to promote atheism and science on all television news, programs and shows, artistic events, debates, and films. In addition, the document reminds all party exponents that they have the obligation of "believing in orthodox Marxism" without giving in to "superstition".
Some Chinese scholars consulted affirmed that the new order would not change the conditions of the five religions recognized in China (Taoism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism and Protestantism). Meanwhile, however, they noted that the document was perhaps influenced by interests arising from among some Buddhist rites broadcast during the SARS crisis.
The document is well elaborated and emphasizes that those in charge of the mass-media must know how to present atheism in a way that is attractive and associated with daily life (forever proposed as the "science" explaining the reality of the universe), thereby encouraging the study of Marxism-Leninism, Maoism and the political theories of Deng Xiaoping and former president Jiang Zemin. Thus, the media must apply the communist party's policy on religious freedom, which affirms the liberty of believers and non-believers alike, by underscores that "religion institutions may organize their activities only in specifically authorized places and that the promotion of their respective beliefs must not contradict socialism."
Unfortunately such twists of words and meaning are common, just as the three new documents on Church management demonstrate (cf. AsiaNews, June 2003, pp. 13-26) or as in the arrogant inference the government had in the choice and consecration of new Catholic bishops (cf. AsiaNews, Nov. 2003, pp. 15-17). Yet speaking with some advocates of our Church community in China, I was always amazed by the fact that, while rooted in the mystery of the cross, they do not dramatize the situation. Rather, as I recently recall, they are convinced that the Church will not only survive, but that it will also grow despite everything (cf. AsiaNews, Oct. 2003, p. 22).
Problems of formation continue to be a priority. They are quite complex and cover multiple sectors, ranging from young pastors facing issues of faith and science to those involving faith and modernity. The scarcity of necessary means to allow pastors to operate on various levels must also be confronted. The conference "European Catholics and China" held at the beginning of September at Belgium's Louvain University concentrated attention on "collaboration with the Chinese Churches for formation of ecclesial ministers in an age of globalization" (cf. AsiaNews, Oct. 2003, p. 23) The voices of many young Chinese (priests, religious and lay people) who are currently studying in Europe brought various matters to light. At the same time they demonstrate the precious contribution Chinese sister Churches can offer in terms of solidarity and cooperation by supporting seminars and other formational programs within China and by offering scholarships for further specialization, something which is still not available within their country's educational structure.
The use of internet in China has been defined by someone as the modern " Silk Route", capable of opening this immense country not only to opportunities present in the world economy, but also to the values of Christianity. With over 68 million people on-line, the Peoples Republic is second largest internet user in the world after the United States. Nevertheless, New China's authorities are determined to keep the powerful tool for the globalization of information under tight control, by applying enormous resources to impose sophisticated filters that prevent the diffusion of "politically dangerous" ideas. In terms of religion, it doesn't seem that there have been specific limitations imposed. And already numerous programs created by individuals and Christian organizations both in China and by her "Diaspora" communities readily offer news, documentation and opportunities for formation in Christian doctrine and life.
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